Healthcare is one of the top priorities of the UAE government. This is why there have been recent and drastic improvements and changes made in the medical system of most healthcare facilities. The UAE government aims at diversifying the oil-reliant economy to preserve best practices in several government aspects. At the same time, the government faces the great challenge of developing unprecedented healthcare infrastructure.

Healthcare Regulatory Bodies in UAE

The healthcare management system in UAE is administered by the Ministry of Health, Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and the Emirates Health Authority (EHA). Health care is governed at both Emirate and Federal level.

UAE’s Best Practices in Healthcare

The population in UAE is approximately 1.3 million. More than 90% of the population is concentrated in the city. 17% out of the 90% are expatriates from all over the world, most being from the UK, India, Philippines and Pakistan. This is because UAE is one of the most commercialized countries in that region. These expatriates are mostly people involved in businesses with high risks and income.

According to best practices in community medicine, statistical analysis proves that life expectance of women in Dubai is 77.87 years and that of men is 72.73 years. Average birth rate is 12.8% while death rate is 9.2 mortalities per 1000 people.

According to reports prevalence of chicken pox in Dubai was 3,472 cases in 2006 alone. Likewise best practices in laboratory reports prove that 392 cased of Viral Hepatitis had been recorded in the same year. Pulmonary Tuberculosis was also counted to approximately 310 incidences.

Because of a high number of expatriates in the UAE, healthcare is accessible for everyone without limitations. At the same time, due to need for best practices there is private healthcare insurance available for both locals and foreigners. In the case of foreigners, there are two possibilities of best practices. The employer may arrange health insurance policies or foreigner workers obtain those issued by their country. All public healthcare facilities will attend to foreign casualties and patients strictly on emergency basis.

In the past, medical care for foreigners in UAE was free. The consequence of this bad practice was abuse of privilege. More than 75% of patients visiting healthcare facilities were recorded on average per month. Therefore, in 2001 new medical policies were introduced to improve medical services. This best practice was accepted by all hospitals across the UAE. Discounts were made available only for admission cases.

Visitor Information

Foreigners are required to undergo some medical tests and get vaccines against prevalent ailments. These include cholera and yellow fever immunization vaccines. Visitors are informed about basic precautions they can take to prevent problems like heat stroke and accidents. Failure in abiding by basic best practices in healthcare can lead to sever medical problems. Drinking is also discouraged for foreigners in the UAE. Likewise antidepressants and sleeping pills are prohibited in the UAE. Being caught using them without prescription is a serious offence.